Not On Thy Life
by SardonyxRosetta
Summary: While thrilled to be cast as Juliet in her community college's production of Romeo and Juliet, Kaoru's uneasiness regarding Romeo is apparent and well-founded. With Megumi pushing her to develop a REAL, EMOTIONAL connection with the resident hottie, all she can think about is that she would really rather not get her lips anywhere near Romeo's deceivingly gorgeous face.
1. The Game's Afoot

I honestly can't say where the inspiration for this one came from, but I know I'm very excited to be writing another fanfic for Rurouni Kenshin, this time in a non-canon world. In the event that you like this chapter and wish to read more, please review and tell me so. I do have the first few chapters planned out, but I'm most certainly open to new suggestions! In fact, I definitely encourage them. Thank you so much for reading, and have an absolutely wonderful day.

Greatest Regards,

Sardonyx Rosetta

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of Shakespeare's brilliant plays.

Chapter One: The Game's Afoot

"But, soft. What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the-"

"Stop Kenshin, please. I'm begging you. I can't take much more of this."

"You were the one who wanted me to practice your lines with you." Kenshin smiled down at me from his seat on the bench, strands of red hair framing his face. I was on my back next to him, the top of my head just brushing his thigh.

I sighed. "That was before I realized your default voice is monotone."

"And now you know why I'm in Kendo and not in Drama club, Kaoru." He dropped my script on my face none too gently, and I scrabbled for it with a short cry, limbs flailing everywhere. A strong set of arms grabbed me before I could fall off the small wooden bench, and I breathed a large sigh of relief as Kenshin hauled me back up and into a seated position.

"Thanks so much," I said dryly, snatching the offending script off the ground.

"No problem!" He grinned, entirely too cheerful. "You should probably head to rehearsal, or you're going to be late."

I jumped up, scrambling for my things in a hurried frenzy. "Oh shoot you're right! Tell Sensei I'll be there at six, alright? Crap crap crap I can't be late AGAIN!"

Kenshin laughed as I stumbled on through the courtyard, only partly pulled together as I shoved things in my paint-spattered messenger bag and yanked my hair back into its signature ponytail. "Good luck, Kaoru! Don't embarrass yourself!"

"Oh shut up!" I scoffed, pulling open the door closest to the theater. "You may be a master swordsman, but I landed the role of Juliet without even trying – so HA!" I slammed the heavy metal door behind me to emphasize my point, ignoring his continued chuckling as I jogged away.

Everyone was still lounging around on stage and in the first three rows of red velvet seats when I arrived, and I let out a long breath I hadn't even remembered holding in. I had made it on time, and now Hiko, our director, couldn't reprimand me for it. As I glanced around, I realized that he wasn't even in the room. Typical, hypocritical Hiko. He only ever ran late when I got there early.

"Kaoru." Megumi waved me over to where she and Sano were sitting, stifling a yawn with her other delicate, pale hand. I shook my head as I weaved my way through the ancient theater seats, knowing exactly what had her yawning at three in the afternoon.

"Another all-nighter, Megumi?" I chided, shaking my head. "What was it this time, Advanced Biochemistry?" Honestly, her fancy honors classes took up so much of her time that I wondered if she ever slept.

She grinned in her own little cheeky way, flashing a suggestive glance at Sano. "Hmm... I suppose you could say that. And maybe a little human anatomy as well."

"Omigod no!" I cried, squeezing my eyes shut and plugging my ears in repulsion. "That is so nasty! Way, way, WAY too much information, Megumi."

She chortled then, pulling herself up into her typical haughty pose as she laughed about her own distasteful comment. "I was only kidding, Kaoru! I had you for a moment there, didn't I?"

"Me too..." Sano muttered, face downcast as he rolled his eyes. "God you're cruel, making comments like that and not even URK!" A sharp elbow to the stomach silenced him. Megumi just loved to abuse him. It was a wonder Sano hadn't beaten her up yet, considering he took crap from no one.

Well, no one except Megumi.

"Oh, go talk to Anji, why don't you? Megumi preened, shoving Sano off in his direction. "I'm sure he needs some help with his lines."

"He's Friar Lawrence!" Sano exclaimed, grabbing his script anyways. "He only has, like, three total. I'm Tybalt! I have a million and two!"

"You have no idea how wrong you are, idiot," I sighed. "Have you even read the script?"

"Then maybe he can help you with yours," she smiled brightly. "Now shut up and go away. Kaoru and I have some girl talk we need to sort out."

"We do?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

Sano narrowed his eyes. "You're just going to talk about me, aren't you?"

Megumi chuckled. "Of course not, darling. Now shoo." She made the motion with her hands dismissively.

"Ugh, Whatever," Sano huffed, scuffing his feet on the floor as he shuffled away. I couldn't help but feel a little twinge of pity just looking at him. Sano was Megumi's bitch, no doubt about it. She had him at her beck and call, wrapped around her pinky finger to use at her convenience, and he was more than happy to comply. It was true love, alright.

I joined my friend up on the edge of the stage, filling Sano's vacated spot. "So are we really going to talk about him?"

"Psh." Megumi brushed me off. "No, we're going to gossip about that delicious piece of man meat that is Romeo."

"Oh God," I sighed. "Yukishiro Enishi is not a delicious piece of man meat. We've had this discussion before."

"Oh he is." She smiled dreamily across the room at Enishi, who was crouched in a heated argument with Katamari. From the faint strains of conversation I could catch, I realized they were running through a scene as their respective parts, Romeo and Mercutio. "You are soooooo lucky, Kaoru. Now I'm jealous you were cast as Juliet and I as the nurse, because let me tell you, the things I would DO to that boy if I had your part."

"Don't be ridiculous," I said flatly, glaring at her. "Besides, you have Sano. He'd beat Enishi up in a heartbeat if he so much as looked at you funny."

"It's not like he could do that if it were for the play, you know. Hiko wouldn't stand for it. It'd be the perfect excuse. Also, totally not fair that you get Sōjirō too."

"Excuse me?" My strangled expression grew even more distorted. Was all Megumi could talk about boys? I knew she was shallow, but-

"He's playing Paris!" she exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders and leaning in. "He HAS to hit on you. It's literally part of his character. It's required and all that stuff. Why do you get all the hot guys, Kaoru?"

"You know Hiko _assigned_ these roles for us, right?"

"That's beside the point."

"Everybody here?!" Hiko's loud voice echoed throughout the theater, announcing his arrival. A few murmurs of affirmation followed his booming question, and he spotted me. "Glad to see you aren't dragging your ass on your way here anymore, Kamiya," Hiko jibed. The loose association of students giggled, and I rolled my eyes. "Alright, everybody up on stage, move it, move it, don't dilly-dally. I said MOVE IT, Yumi! Kindly drag yourself off your boyfriend sometime today and get your ass up here. I swear to god if I see you and Shishio sucking face again, you're both leaving early. Tae, Katsu, same goes for you."

A few chuckles rippled through the crowd. "You know they aren't even dating, right?" asked Cho, scratching the back of his spike-covered head with his script.

Hiko looked at the two blushing college freshmen, standing a good five feet away from one another, and sighed. "We all know it's only a matter of time. Showmances and all that."

"Showmances?" Katamari giggled, covering his – or her? – mouth with a dainty hand. "You mean like show romances? Like when people start dating after they've been cast as a couple? KEYOOOOOT!"

Hiko just stared at Katamari in bewilderment, then down at the stage, and then back up towards the ceiling. "Dear God almighty, what the hell have I gotten myself into?"

"What if you and Enishi had a showmance?" Megumi whispered in my ear, and it was my turn to elbow her in the ribs.

"Back off," I hissed, because Enishi was literally ten feet away and I was pretty sure he had excellent hearing.

Hiko clapped his hands together. "Right then. Capulets on stage right, Montagues on stage left. We've got some cheesy team-building theater games we've gotta do because it helps us be better people or some shit like that. The faster you move, the faster you can be done with this!"

"Sensei, what do Aoshi and I do?" Cho whined, throwing an arm around the ever-stoic Ice King that had somehow landed the part of Prince Escalus. It honestly astonished me that, as bad of an actor as Kenshin was, Hiko had preferred Aoshi over him – Aoshi, the one whose expression never changed. "It's not like Benvolio or the prince have a side!"

The look on Hiko's face screamed, 'How are you even alive with that much stupidity in your possession?' "Cho, have you even _read_ the play before? Not even in my class this year, when it was assigned reading?" A sheepish, guilty grin spread across Cho's face, and Hiko slapped a large palm to his own forehead. "You're Romeo's cousin, dumbass. Get over there." He pointed to stage left, and Cho sauntered off to the rest of his crew. "And as for you," he motioned to Aoshi, "join the Capulets. They look like they could use all the help they could get."

"Hey!" Sano protested, and Megumi and I crossed our arms for added emphasis.

Hiko promptly ignored us. "The rules to this game are simple. Capture the flag. The playing field is the west end of the campus, where we are now, and the dividing line is the main courtyard."

"Sensei?" A deep, rich voice queried, raising his hand above the sea of teammates on his side of the stage. From the white-bonde hair, multiple piercings, and hipster glasses, it was so obvious who it was. "Sensei, how is this a theater team-building exercise?" Enishi asked.

"I was getting to that, twerp," Hiko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The catch is that every single word out of your mouth has to be in Shakespearean language."

Everyone groaned.

"Ready?" Hiko bellowed, holding his massive arms out wide. "THREE! TWO! O-"

"STOP!" I cried. "What the hell are we using for flags?!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Hiko chuckled, sticking his pointer fingers out at each team, "You two."

"Me?!" Yumi and I exclaimed simultaneously, glaring in outrage at the offending hands gesturing in our separate directions.

Hiko went back to his countdown without hesitation. "THREE! TWO! ONE! GO FORTH AND FLEE FOR THY LIVES!"

And boy, did we flee.


	2. Red Flag

A quick note:

The Shakespearean language referenced in this coming chapter is entirely made up and intended to be terrible, due to the fact that a collection of college students are screaming it at each other while attempting to play capture the flag. With... people. So try not to hate too much, if at all possible. Also, I will do my best to keep my characters true to themselves, but I am placing them in a non-canon world with the intention of seeing how they would react in those situations, so please excuse any artistic liberties I may ultimately end up taking. For those who have decided to stick around to read another chapter, thank you very much. I'm more than pleased my writing is interesting enough to want to come back to again, and I hope it will continue to be so in the future. Please feel free to review if you have any questions, constructive criticism, or ideas for upcoming chapters/what you would like to see, and I would be thrilled to keep them in consideration.

Greatest Regards,

Sardonyx Rosetta

Chapter Two: Red Flag

"Run, Kaoru!" Sano screamed in my ear, pushing me back behind him in an attempt to ward off any potential attackers.

"I wouldst prefer it if thy lord Sano would thusly refer to me as Mistress Kaoru!" I panted, hands heavy on my knees.

"Thine olde English is terrible," he hissed, pronouncing the "olde" as "old-ee" in a fruitless attempt to stay in character.

"Shut thine lips," I snapped, diving into an empty classroom. "Go forth and conquer, I shall hide myself within these glorious cupboards." I motioned to the art cabinets.

"Okay, now you're just making up fancy words," Sano scoffed as I climbed into my hiding spot, bringing a rolled up poster in with me to use as a weapon in a dire emergency.

"Lord Sano! Thou must not break thy character!"

"Whatever-eth." He rolled his eyes and took off, careful not to blow my cover.

Shouts of "Where lies thy flag?!" and "Thou art OUT, brethren!" filled the halls, and I felt sorry for the teachers still working after most of the day's classes had finished. I kept myself as quiet as possible, sitting in the dark as I listened to terribly-phrased Shakespearean English float through the corridors. I was safe for now, I was pretty sure. They all thought I was running around like a chicken missing its head in an attempt to evade the Montagues. It was ridiculous, really, hiding like this, because it wasn't even plausible to think that someone could manhandle me back to their side. I was a strong young woman with a well-developed history in martial arts and Kendo, and they would only get their asses kicked. In fact, I might just-

The door to my hiding place flew open with a flourish, and a large grin met my terrified expression.

Enishi.

I let loose a blood-curdling scream and smacked him in the face with my poster, making him wince in both surprise and pain. I took the opportunity to dart past him and towards the doorway at top speed as cries of "Wherefore art thou, Kaoru?" and "LADY KAORU, WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!" echoed in my ears.

To my surprise, a warm, strong arm caught me around the waist before I could escape, and I dropped my only weapon in an act of pure stupidity. "One moment, Lady Kaoru. Why does thy face look so pale? Is thy disposition concerned?" Before I could answer any of his ridiculous questions, I was hauled over Enishi's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Let me go, idiot!" I cried, wriggling incessantly as he held me fast. Despite my considerable physical abilities, it was hard to overcome the fact that Enishi was a lot larger and stronger than me.

"Not on thy life." He laughed then, quickening his pace and jogging to the exit of the art and history building.

"Kaoru!" Megumi cried in horror, hands over her mouth in terror.

"Don't just stand there, you ninny! Do something!" I screeched, struggling as I was hauled past another classroom. Mr. Saito looked up from his desk, sighed, and went back to work, rather unfazed at the sight of one of his top students being hauled through the corridor against her will.

We were closing in on the dividing line, mere seconds from victory, when Sano came barreling towards us with Aoshi on his heels. Eyes full of determination, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "LET HER GO, YOU CANKER-BLOSSOM!"

"Canker-blossom?" Megumi questioned.

"Fly, good Romeo, fly, fly, fly!" Katamari swooned, fanning himself with his hand as he watched Enishi's progress with fluttery eyelids that rivaled a moth's frantic flapping.

"Idiot. Wrong play." Hiko rolled his eyes from his seat right along the dividing line.

"That's from Macbeth, dumbass!" Yumi smacked Katamari upside the head, pulling up her low-cut tank top with her other hand just far enough to prevent her chest from spilling out – but still leaving a considerable amount of cleavage on display for the boys who still hadn't grown out of their high school mentalities.

"Sano!" I cried, hitting my arms against Enishi's back like a deranged two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. I was satisfied to feel him wince under my clenched fists, but mostly just furious. How dare he assault me so casually! I could comprehend the fact that he wanted to win, but this was ridiculous. With one last terrifying battle cry, Sano dived for Enishi, arms outstretched like a desperate lion scrabbling for its prey.

I was airborne in a split second, still clutched to Enishi's unyielding torso. He had jumped at the last second, it seemed, barely evading Sano's vice-like grip before springing over to Montague territory. I cursed internally before the two of us slammed into the hard tiled floor – Enishi on top of me.

I groaned, a sharp pain spreading through my arm. "Get off me, you asshole," I growled, shoving him off me with the hand that wasn't pinned by his weight. He just smirked at me and rolled to the side, allowing his cheerful teammates to pull him to his feet and into their frenzied cluster of celebratory dancing and cries of victory.

"Oh Kaoru," Megumi sighed, looking down at me. "You just had to go and get yourself kidnapped, didn't you?"

"Some help you were," I snapped, sitting up as I rubbed my upper arm. It hurt like hell, and I shot a glare at the perpetrator of my injury. He just ignored me like the douchebag that he was, and I felt even more terrible. "Besides, its hard to fight off an attacker if he nabs you from behind and throws you over his shoulder." My attempt to push the blame for the Capulet's failure onto Enishi felt far-fetched and pathetic, and I refused to look up at the rest of my team.

"Hey, asshole!" Sano shouted across the hallway, and my head shot up. He was addressing Enishi, of all people, and I couldn't help but tense. Sano was, once again, overreacting. "The least you could do is help the girl you body-slammed into the ground up off the floor!"

"Save it, rooster-head," Shishio growled, dark eyes piercing beneath a fringe of black-brown bangs. "She's still alive. She can get up by herself, and if she isn't strong enough, she deserves to sit there like the weakling she is."

"What kind of attitude is that?!" Katsu cried, taking a step forward. "It's common courtesy, for God's sake!" Tae nodded from behind him, eyes filled with fire.

Enishi was watching now, the slightest of smirks spreading across his face. The whole situation just served to amuse him, and I felt my own incessant glare boring into his cold, emotionless eyes. What made him think he was so much better than me, anyways?

"You're just jealous because you guys lost," Yumi simpered, leaning back into her bad boy face-sucking partner with a satisfied smirk.

"Enishi kidnapped her!" Megumi protested, helping me to my feet with strong and determined arms. She kept her hand on my shoulder, fingers tensed against the soft flesh.

"Megumi's right," Soijiro laughed hesitantly, scratching his head. "That wasn't the nicest way of doing things."

"That was the point! Not our fault she's weak," Cho called back, taunting us.

Anji stepped forward hesitantly. "Guys, I don't think we need to-"

"I'm not weak!" I growled, cutting Anji off as my hands clenched into fists.

"Well if that's so unfair, why didn't you just grab me while I was standing four fucking feet from the dividing line!" Yumi snapped.

"Because Shishio was puppy-guarding you the whole time!" Tae shouted, uncharacteristically furious.

"That's no excuse!" Katamari huffed. "Just drop it, okay?! You guys lost, so suck it up and accept your defeat!"

Sano was so seethingly angry that his face was a brilliant shade of crimson. "YOU-"

"WHO'S ANGRY RIGHT NOW?!" Hiko bellowed, and everyone froze. It was so quiet in the courtyard that a feather hitting the ground would have sounded like an earthquake in comparison to the silence in which we currently stood. It was quite obvious that in our arguing frenzy we had all forgotten about our director's obvious presence, and he now stood glaring at us with his large hands centered on his hips. "Well?! Who's angry?!" he shouted.

Slowly, Megumi raised her hand. I followed, and then Yumi, Katamari, Sano, Shishio, Tai... The process continued until everyone excluding Aoshi, Anji, and Enishi had their hands raised high in the air. We looked at each other, uncertainty in our expressions.

"Good," Hiko grinned, relaxing his threatening pose with exaggerated enthusiasm.

The entire cast of this year's spring play stood dumbfounded in the grass, jaws somewhere around our ankles.

"...Good?" Aoshi finally muttered, breaking the silence that had held us prisoner.

"Good," Hiko repeated, brown eyes shining with mischief. "How much anger do you guys think the Montagues and the Capulets had towards one another back in ancient Vienna?"

There was yet another significant lapse of conversation as Hiko's words sunk in."God, you're a genius," Cho breathed at last.

"I know," Hiko smirked, turning around and strutting back towards the theater. "Although I'm rather surprised none of you could figure out that was my objective from the start. Idiots. I want everyone onstage in five minutes, scripts in hand and ready to start from the top of the show!"

"Still," I mumbled under my breath, following the stream of dazed actors down the hallway as I rubbed my sore arm, "a real Romeo would have at least apologized."

"What was that, Kaoru?" Megumi asked, still looking a little out of it.

"Oh, uh, nothing," I chuckled nervously, shoving her gently towards Sano. "Go hang on your boyfriend, why don't you? He could use the attention." She just giggled and sauntered off, latching onto Sano's arm like a bloodthirsty piranha in the Amazon.

"Sorry," a cautious voice whispered in my ear, and I jumped. My head whipped to the side, and I caught Enishi's mildly amused, slightly apologetic expression just before he slipped off to talk with Soijiro. It was more than five minutes before I found myself back on stage, still in a mild state of shock and wondering why such piercing blue eyes were ingrained in my head for hours to come.


	3. Let it Be

A Quick Note:

Due to the positive feedback I've received so far, I was more than motivated to finish editing this most recent chapter. For those of you who have been waiting for a little Kaoru and Kenshin development, this one is definitely for you. This fic is intended to be a KxK fic, so hold tight - there will be plenty of fluffy goodness to come! As always, please leave any questions, constructive criticism, or other notes in a review, and I will do my best to address them in either one of these little notes or in the story itself. Thank you for your continued support, and have an absolutely wonderful day.

Greatest Regards,

Sardonyx Rosetta

Chapter Three: Let it Be

I zipped up my favorite faded green hoodie with practiced agility, then grabbed my shinai and jogged out into the main dojo where my classmates were practicing. "Sorry I'm late, Sensei," I panted, skidding to a halt in front of him. "Hiko ran late again because Yumi and Shishio were making out and he decided to lecture them in front of us even though I told him I had to leave and-"

"Save it." Maekawa-sensei cut me off, running a hand through his short silver hair. "I get it. That man's an insensitive idiot. Now go spar with Kenshin for a while – the poor kid's been bored out of his mind, wandering around and correcting everybody else's forms. Use one of the practice rooms, if you want."

"Yes, Sensei," I said, nodding my head in acknowledgement. I turned to leave, but his voice cut me off.

"Wait, where is Misao?" Makeawa-sensei asked, scratching the back of his head. "She said she was going to come in to practice today, didn't she?"

"She's sick, Sensei," I explained, laughing hesitantly with a hand behind my head. "The stomach flu. She woke up puking in the middle of the night." I conveniently left out the part that I was the one who had to clean up my roommate's vomit to spare a bit of my own dignity, trying not to gag as I recalled the putrid stench that probably still permeated the carpet next to her bed. Ew.

He hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his scruffy skin. "I see. Make sure she gets better soon, alright? Otherwise we're going to have to find someone else to teach those ninja 101 classes she was so keen on leading."

"Of course, Sensei!" I bowed again, biting back a sharp comment regarding Misao's intelligence and a class full of college freshmen with shuriken and kunai knives. It took me a moment to find my sparring partner. Kenshin had hidden himself quite nicely in the second practice room, and sat perched on a stack of floor mats resting in the corner of the room. I could tell by the way his head of fiery red hair was bobbing that he was just about ready to nod off. "Prepare yourself!" I bellowed at the top of my tiny lungs in typical anime boss-battle style, jumping into the room and landing in a offensive position.

I could just make out a bemused smirk from under his screen of orange bangs before he jumped up, his own weapon at the ready. "I was starting to think you weren't coming," he taunted playfully, eyes shining with satisfaction.

"It's all your dad's fault and you know it," I shot back.

"It usually is," Kenshin agreed, flipping his bangs out of his face.

"Ready for me to beat you into the ground?" I chuckled, my stance firm as my eyes remained locked with his.

"Now when has that ever happened?" he asked gently, teasing me.

"Today," I smirked, launching my attack with a ferocity that impressed even myself. I struck at every available limb attached to the lithe redhead, and still could get nowhere close to his actual skin. "Hold still, dammit!" I growled, spinning and striking towards his shoulder blade. He blocked my shinai with his own, sending a resounding crack through the small practice room.

"So how was theater today?" His tone was nonchalant, and I hated him for it. The boy wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Fine," I retorted, realigning myself for another onslaught.

"What did you guys do?" Kenshin asked, curiosity in his violet eyes as he fended off another couple strikes with ease.

"Read through the script. Played a game." I aimed for his left calf this time, with no luck. "Would you just leave me an opening already?!"

He ignored my comment. "What game?"

"Capture the flag," I huffed, avoiding one of his haphazard attacks. The guy wasn't even trying, and here I was, already so sweaty it looked like someone had dumped a bucket of salt water over my head.

"Capture the flag?" Kenshin murmured in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really."

"And that has to do with Romeo and Juliet?"

"He divided us up into Montagues and Capulets," I explained, trying to walk the dangerously thin line between conversation and sparring. "It was some sort of metaphor regarding the feud the two families had."

His face shone with understanding. "Oh, I see."

"You have eyes, don't you?" I snapped. "I would think that would be a given."

"Getting angry now, are we?" I could tell something had shifted by the look in his eyes, and suddenly I was the one on defense. I was barely able to track the path of his shinai, blocking with a frantic accuracy I didn't know I possessed. He was in front of me, then behind me, and my head was whirling. It was just too hot for me to think straight. The warm April day had heated the enclosed room considerably, and my head was beginning to swim.

"Time-out!" I shouted. "This goddamned sweatshirt is coming OFF."

He relaxed his posed, shinai dropping to his side. "Giving up so soon?"

"It's a million degrees in here," I shot back, leaning my own practice sword against the wall. "Just give me one second and I'll be right back to kicking your ass."

He gave me a look. "As I recall, not two seconds ago you were on defense."

"Psh," I scoffed, unzipping my sweatshirt and peeling it off my nasty skin. "Ew. So gross."

I heard a sharp intake of breath as I threw the offensive piece of clothing across the room, and I looked back at Kenshin in surprise. But strangely, he wasn't there anymore. Instead he held my upper arm tenderly in his hand, eyeing it with a terrified, concerned expression. "What the hell, Kaoru?" he breathed, his thumbs stroking the blush-purple skin with gentle caution. I looked at the bruised skin in astonishment. How did I not see that? The discolored blotch was the size of large potato and started at the tip of my shoulder, and I could already tell is was going to hurt like a bitch once it finally sunk in. "How did this even happen?"

"I- uh-" I stuttered, still gaping at the fact that I hadn't managed to spot it until Kenshin pointed it out. "Um … I was tackled?"

His eyes had sparks of anger in them now, flecks of amber in a field of indigo and violet. "By who?"

I bit my lip, debating as to whether or not I should tell him. From the look on his face I could tell he was ready to go out and confront anyone responsible for my injury.

"Kaoru?" He asked again, as if to make sure I had heard him.

"Its a bit of a long story," I muttered, rubbing my forehead with my free arm. "But I guess we have the time." It took me a minute to come up with the right words, but eventually the epic tale of how Lady Kaoru was kidnapped by Romeo and nonchalantly slammed into the ground tumbled from my lips.

"You're telling me Enishi did this?" Kenshin questioned, eyes narrowing. "And he didn't even help you up?"

"He apologized," I said weakly, toeing the wood floor with my bare feet. "I mean, sort of."

"Sort of?!" he exclaimed.

"Sort of," I repeated, my voice even quieter. I couldn't quite look him in the eyes any more.

"What an asshole," he whispered, almost inaudibly. I stared at him in shock. I had heard Kenshin swear a grand total of two times before. Once was when Hiko strung up all his undies like bunting in the living room when I came over for lunch a couple months ago, and the other was when he broke his wrist after falling down the front steps of the library freshman year. To say I was surprised was an understatement.

"It's not like he did it on purpose."'

"Because throwing someone over your shoulder can be a complete accident," Kenshin said sarcastically, finally letting go of my arm.

I didn't have an answer for that.

"That just isn't right." He shook his head, red hair flying to and fro. "Someone needs to tell him to start acting like an adult. He can't just brush this off like its nothing. He hurt you!"

"It'll be fine, Kenshin. It's just a bruise." I beamed at him, trying to smooth over his anxiety with an abundance of positivity. "It'll fade. I'll live."

It was Kenshin's turn to pause. "Yeah. I know it will," he said at last. "But that doesn't mean he should be able to get away with it like that."

I smiled, almost to myself, and placed my hand against his cheek, the roughness of his cross-shaped scar rubbing against my soft palm. "I don't think you can comprehend how appreciative I am that you're so fired up about this. Really," I chuckled. "You're phenomenal. But I can uphold my own honor and all that. You know me – if he ever does that again I'll kick his ass so hard that his body will become permanently implanted on the surface of the moon."

He had to laugh at that, violet eyes squeezing shut in mirth. A gentle hand grabbed my own, the one resting against his face, and lowered it, squeezing it tightly. "Kaoru, you never fail to amuse me."

"Glad to hear that," I chuckled, trying not to be a shy ninny as I resisted the urge to look away. God, he was adorable.

"Hey! Lovebirds!" Maekawa-sensei called from the doorway, and the two of us instantly sprang apart. "How about you two stop staring at each other and start sparring with some of my other students – they need the practice, and from the looks of it you two need to cool down a bit."

"Hey now!" I huffed, hands on my hips. "Quit making assumptions!"

"I'm not making assumptions," Sensei said dryly, obviously resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "It's written all over your faces. Now move it!" He slammed the door shut as if to emphasize his point, and I stood there in shock.

"Well," Kenshin said at last. "That's Sensei for you." He picked up his shinai and headed for the door, his steady stride nonchalant. "Are you coming, or am I going to have to teach the freshmen a lesson by myself?"

"Like you would even look at them funny, let alone beat them up," I scoffed, following him back to the practice room with my insides still secretly full of jelly.


	4. Got it Covered

A Quick Note:

I would like to thank all of you lovely readers who have reviewed and left questions for me, because those questions have actually given me some direction as to where this fic will go next. I went through this chapter with a theoretical fine-toothed comb, and I think I was able to weed out all of the grammatical mistakes and plot hiccups, so I hope this reads smoothly! Another thing worth mentioning is that in this world; Kenshin does not have the fabulous ponytail that he retains for the majority of the manga. Instead, I would think it to be quite a bit like the shorter style he adopts after the Jinchuu arc. If you absolutely cannot live with this, feel free to use your imagination to make it grow luxuriously long again. By the way, I finally created a cover for my story! If you need any clarification as to what it means, don't be scared to ask - although I think it shouldn't be too hard to decipher. As always, thank you for reading, and please leave any questions, constructive criticism, or comments you may have in the 'reviews' section as you see fit!

Greatest Regards,

Sardonyx Rosetta

Chapter Four: Got it Covered

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" a bright voice squealed in my ear, and I let loose an unearthly groan. Sleep. I needed sleep. Bed. Warm. Mmm.

"Kaoru! Hey!"

Nope. No, this was definitely not happening. I was staying put. I was –

"If you can get ready to go in the next seven and a half minutes, we'll have enough time to stop for donuts. The GOOD kind."

I sprang up immediately, covers flying this way and that in a flurry of white and violet cotton. "Donuts?!" I cried, eyes wide with excitement.

Misao stared at me blankly for a few seconds. "God, you're pathetic. Yes, donuts. Provided you do something about that rat's nest you call hair."

I blinked. "Hey, weren't you sick? How come you aren't puking anymore?"

"It's called a 24-hour bug." Misao glowered darkly, my early-morning stupidity finally getting the best of her patience. "The last time I puked was 24 hours ago. Therefore, I am fine. Now get your ass out of bed, because if you aren't ready in time I am going to leave without you and get the best freshly-baked pastry I could possibly buy and eat it in Saito's class. In front of you. Slowly. With no regrets."

I blinked again. "Saito doesn't let us bring food-"

"SHUT UP AND GET READY KAORU."

Six minutes and forty-two seconds later, I was pulling on my windbreaker and ready to fly out the door.

"Wait!" Misao cried, grabbing my wrist. "What happened to your arm?! It looks like Ayame and Suzume finally figured out how to use their watercolor paints, except with your shoulder as their canvas!"

"Can we walk and talk?" I asked, shrugging free of her grip and zipping up my jacket. "Because I really, really want a donut."

Once we reached the main elevator of our apartment building, Misao began to chatter once more. "How come I didn't notice that?! It's enormous. And ugly."

"Thank you, Misao."

"Hey, you want me to compliment you on how lovely your monstrous bruise looks? Oh golly gee Kaoru, I sure am jealous of that large, disgusting blotch on your arm." She batted her eyelashes daintily as she clasped her hands to her chest. "Wherever did you get it? I want one juuust like it!"

"If you're not careful, you'll have one – don't worry, I'll be gentle." She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Actually, Enishi would probably be more than obliged to help you in receiving a bruise as lovely as mine."

"Enishi did that?!" She gaped. "Are you serious?!"

"Entirely," I sighed, wincing as the elevator grinded to a stop. "There was an incident yesterday in theater."

"Kaoru, did you get in a fight again?!" Misao cried, looking horrified. "If you're not careful you're going to get kicked o-"

"Quit being such a drama queen, Misao," I huffed, walking out the front doors and down the row of stores that lined our path to the Art and History building, where our first class of the day was located. "We were playing capture the flag. With people. Hiko's dumb idea, not ours. Enishi tackled me, and it resulted in the achy arm I have been blessed with today. I never told you because you were passed out when I got home from practice, and I didn't want to wake you up and risk being sprayed with Misao vomit.

"Practice..." Misao trailed off, her pace slowing. "Wait a second – was Kenshin there last night?" Her eyes narrowed into her characteristic interrogation face. "Did he see your bruise? What did he say?! Oh, I bet he was furious."

"He wasn't furious," I said calmly, holding open the door to the Sweet Treats bakery for her. A crowd of fellow college students huddled within the small shop, consuming their sugary confections and coffee with great appreciation.

"You can't tell me he didn't say anything," Misao grumbled, glaring at me as she passed through the doorway. "There's no way."

I bit my lip, following her in and lining up behind a short preppy girl with a neon sports bra shining through her white shirt, blue earbuds dangling from her neck. "He was kind of mad, I guess. But not at me. At Enishi. It was weird."

"Kaoru, we've had this discussion before. It isn't weird. He's just being protective, and you know why."

"Do not. One glazed donut, please." I handed over my money and took a bite of my delicious breakfast, savoring the sugary rush flowing through my veins. Misao paid for her chocolate cake donut and followed me out the door, shaking her head as she went.

"He likes you. And you know it, too." Misao hurried to catch up with me, her short legs pumping as I speed-walked towards the school. "He LIKES you, likes you."

"No, he doesn't. He's just concerned about my health, that's all."

Misao managed to cut in front of me, walking backwards so I had no choice but to slow down and pay attention to her. Little weasel. "Right – because most boys are really interested in how you're feeling. They just can't wait to make sure you're in tip-top shape. Face it, Kaoru. You have a brother. You know how they work. Yahiko would be much more likely to go on about how cool your 'battle scar' is than ask if you'd like an ice pack."

I just glared at her. "Quit jumping to conclusions already. Has he ever said he liked me?"

"No, but guys don't like using their words, especially around girls."

"Kenshin uses his words with me all the time. Its called being a friend." I flinched as Misao narrowly missed hitting a tree. "Walk like a normal person, why don't you?"

"So you're friends," she continued, ignoring my advice. Oh well. If she got hurt, I wasn't going to hold myself responsible. "Friendship can sometimes develop into – "

"MORE friendship!" I cried, grabbing Misao and turning her around. Kenshin was waiting with a cup of coffee in his hand, standing with his back to the entrance of the history wing. "Good morning, Kenshin." I beamed at him, as innocently as I could.

"Kaoru. Misao." Kenshin was a man of few words until he had finished his first glass of pitch-black liquid bitterness, much like how I couldn't function as a regular adult human until I had consumed some sort of caloric confection. "We're going to be late soon.

"Nonsense, we'll be absolutely fine," Misao sniffed, finally recovering from the initial shock provided by our close encounter. "Just gotta walk fast."

"Well you'd better walk faster, shorty, because your legs are about half as long as me and I'm ALWAYS late," Sano chuckled, joining us as we hustled through the entryway.

"Whatever, Sano," I huffed. "Where's your clingy little fox, anyways? Leave her at home?"

"She opted out of this class, Tanuki, so you just be quiet. I believe her direct words were 'I'm SO much better than this, anyways.'"

"Sounds like Megumi," Misao grumbled. "Leaving all of us stupid people to suffer in Saito's terrible World History class."

"Watch what you say, Misao," Kenshin chided gently, draining the last of his coffee as he jogged along with us. "Saito has ears like a wolf, that he does."

We filed through the door in record timing, dropping our empty cups and pastry wrappers in the garbage on the way to our seats. Saito watched us with narrowed eyes, outraged at the mere idea that something that used to contain an edible substance was being disposed of IN his ROOM. Drama Queen. All four of us slid into our seats just as the minute hand hit eight o'clock, and the glare we received screamed his dissatisfaction. One of his favorite things to do was lock all of the late people out of his classroom, and we had so _selfishly_ deprived him of that.

He began his lecture on the French Revolutionary War, flipping through the white, picture-less slides and black text at a painfully slow pace. Everyone yanked out their laptops and notebooks and began to take notes feverishly, and I followed in their footsteps, pulling out my purple binder and a pencil. I raised my arm to the open page and winced, pain shooting from my shoulder down to my fingertips. Damn. It was slow going, my hand dragging across the page like a dying animal. Eventually I just gave in, realizing I was focusing more on the pain my shoulder than the actual lecture – and that, in itself, would be a terrible idea.

After twenty minutes of incessant droning had commenced, Saito finally locked eyes with me. "Kamiya!" he barked. "If you aren't going to take notes, get out of my class." I straightened awkwardly, opening my mouth to explain, but Saito would have none of it. "No excuses. I only want serious students in this class."

"She hurt her arm yesterday, Sensei," Kenshin piped up beside me, effectively cutting him off. Saito's hard expression froze. "She's in too much pain to move it much at all." I glanced at Kenshin appreciatively, then carefully pulled up my sleeve to prove he wasn't lying. Saito didn't even have to move from his spot at the front of the lecture hall to see my black-and-blue shoulder, and mild surprise graced his tense features.

"Is that the result of the tomfoolery you were involved in yesterday, Kamiya?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I vaguely seem to recall hordes of rambunctious thespians cavorting about through the hallways, screaming terrible Shakespearean at each other while I was trying to grade the majority of the class's papers."

"It was all Hiko-sensei's idea," I said defensively, resisting the urge to shrug.

"I see." Saito murmured, obviously reserving that information for later so that he could give out lectures where lectures were due – meaning, yelling at Hiko the next time the two teachers locked eyes. "Then do tell me how you plan on getting the notes for today, Kamiya."

I stared at him blankly. Saito was such a pain in the ass.

"I'm taking notes for her, Sensei." Kenshin smiled sweetly, and my gaze caught his. He held up the other notebook resting on his desk as if to illustrate his point. "She asked me to."

Of course I had.

Wait. What? Since when was Kenshin ever so eager to cover my ass?

Saito raised an eyebrow, paused for a moment, and then returned to his lecture as if nothing had happened. I sat there for a moment, dumbfounded, until I glanced at him again. Soft crimson bangs covered his violet eyes, and he pushed them out of his face with a quick flick from his nimble fingertips. He was scribbling diligently on both sheets, and I marveled at how hard he seemed to be working for my sake. He caught me staring at him and smiled, mouthing a snarky "you're welcome" at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him, then whispered "thank you" as softly as I could. His smile grew wider, soft lips curling upwards, and he hid behind his bangs again. God. Those lips. I wondered vaguely how it would feel to kiss them, maybe wind my fingers through his mess of reddish locks and pull him close, breathing in his musky scent with my eyes shut tight.

I snapped to attention, pulling my gaze away from him and trying to control my breathing. What was wrong with me today? Maybe I needed a break from Kenshin for a little while. Thank goodness this was the only class I had with him today. For once, I was grateful Hiko hadn't cast his son in the play, because there was no way I could deal with three hours of trying not to look at the incredibly attractive boy sitting next to me.


	5. Kiss Da Gurl

A Quick Note:

It has been far too long since I have last updated this story. My goodness, am I ashamed of myself! Regardless, I have made this chapter just a bit longer than the others, so I hope that makes up for my belated new chapter. For those who have been waiting for more fluff, get ready - because there is more than enough in this to keep you interested for quite a bit. Also, there is quite a bit of Romeo and Juliet quoted in this part. I know many readers may not have had the joy of reading this play before, and if that is the case, I would suggest looking up the scene quoted (Act One, Scene Five) on Sparknotes in the No Fear Shakespeare section if you would like a translation of sorts of the ancient Shakespearean lingo that is used. I believe all of Shakespeare's plays are free from copyrighting problems, so hopefully that will not be an issue. As always, thank you for reading, and please leave any questions, constructive criticism, or comments you may have in the 'reviews' section!

Greatest Regards,

Sardonx Rosetta

Chapter Five: Kiss Da Gurl

Bright blue eyes met soft violet ones, and I knew that today's rehearsal was going to be the longest one I had ever suffered through in my entire life. As I stood on stage with the majority of my cast, I couldn't help but stare at the mass of red hair hovering over a textbook as Hiko stood and shuffled papers beside him.

Kenshin was here. Sitting in the audience. And it didn't look like he planned on leaving anytime soon. He flashed a smile at me and went back to working on what appeared to be his Calculus III homework, punching buttons on his big fancy calculator. I tried to make it look like I wasn't watching him by chatting amiably with Tae and Katsu, who were growing predictably closer as time passed. No one would be surprised if they were glued to one another like Yumi and Shishio by the end of the day.

"Any idea what scenes we're doing today?" I asked after awhile, adjusting my field of vision so that Kenshin's head hovered close to Tae's left shoulder. Optimum spying position achieved.

"I think its the party scene," Tae smiled shyly, glancing at Katsu out of the corner of her eye. "You know, where Romeo sneaks into the Capulets' party?"

"Oh, yeah?" I murmured distractedly, glancing at Kenshin again.  
"Yes indeed," Megumi grinned, slithering up to me and winding her arm around my shoulders. "And you know what that means, don't you?"'

"Of course." My eyes met his again, and I shyly looked away, pretending I was watching Hiko search through his briefcase for something.

"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss!" Megumi swooned, leaning into me. "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

I paused, then swivelled to look at her with mild confusion. "What the hell are you talking about, Megumi?"

"Don't you remember?" She chuckled pretentiously, a hand in front of her mouth. "It's the scene where Romeo and Juliet _kiss_."

I stared at her blankly. "We have to … kiss?"

She just giggled.

A sense of complete and utter dread shot through my bloodstream, and I froze in place. I was going to have to kiss Enishi? Tall, white-haired, wannabe-hipster, Romeo-playing Enishi. In front of –

Oh God. Oh dear lord almighty. I had to kiss Enishi Yukishiro in front of Kenshin. Sweet, lovable, gentle Kenshin; the very boy I had been having wild make-out session daydreams about for the majority of my morning. Where had that even come from, anyways? Was it my subconscious, primal urge to attach my face to anything with a wiener, or was the small hope that Kenshin might actually like me beginning to grow?

"FREEZE!" Hiko thundered, addressing the cast. "Sit where you are! Right now! I don't give any shits as to your whiny little complaints, so plant your little butts on the ground so we can get this over with."

Capulets and Montagues flopped down onto the stage left and right, unwilling to engage Hiko in another argument. Megumi had to pull me down with her, such was my frayed mental state.

"A few of you may be wondering what this thing is doing here," Hiko said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Kenshin. Kenshin looked up from his homework slowly, glaring up at Hiko through a thin veil of crimson. "I needed a stage manager for you guys since I had no desire to be backstage babysitting every time you half-rate thespians are performing – "

"I am NOT a half-rate thespian!" Katamari cried, attempting to stand in outrage. Cho just pulled him back down by his scarf, looking bored out of his mind.

Hiko continued, " – and since normally you have to pay a stage manager, I'm just making my kid do it. Free slave labor and all that."

"Cruel bastard," Sano murmured next to me, shaking his head sadly. "Kenshin had so much to live for."

"Regardless, lets get started. I want all the Capulets onstage … "

Hiko began to block the fifth scene like a drill sergeant, shouting out commands like we had somehow pissed him off. Maybe Saito had found his way to Hiko's office after his World History class and delivered yet another lecture, which would definitely explain Hiko's anger. There was nothing he hated more than being told he was doing something wrong.

Katsu and Sano were hustled across the stage, playing Capulet and Tybalt to the best of their abilities as Hiko huffed and pouted in the audience. We blocked a great deal of the background as well, situating groups of soon-to-be-masked partiers and servants at random places across the stage so that even if everybody stank come performance time, at least you could see them all relatively well.

Tension built in me slowly, and at an increasing rate the sooner it came to the kiss scene. Hiko finally called everyone except for Enishi and I down into the audience, where some began to do their homework, others played with their phones, and still others kept their eyes trained on the stage. I gazed worriedly into the audience, praying that Kenshin would just keep poking away at his calculator in his half-dazed math coma. He looked up then, smiled, and then put his textbook away. Oh for the love of – I was going to have his undivided attention for the remainder or the scene, wasn't I?

"Please tell me you guys have this part memorized already." Hiko murmured, rubbing his clean-shaven chin. I glanced at Enishi out of the corner of my eye, and we both nodded. "Lets get this over with, then. Show me what you've got and let's work with it."

I took a deep breath and Enishi snatched my hand, doing his best to play a frazzled Romeo set on procuring his newest love interest. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand his holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

He looked deep into my eyes, and I did my best not to look horrified. Acting. I was acting. I was not Kaoru, I was Juliet! My demeanor changed in an instant, and I pulled my shoulders back and faced him with a pleasant smile on my face. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." Maintaining my flirtatious glow was about as easy as running two marathons back to back with no sports drinks or snack-sized granola bars in sight.

Enishi – Romeo – drew me in closer. "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

I drew in a sharp breath, taking in his sly expression and half smirk with widening eyes. "Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

A gentle hand wound its way behind my back, pulling me to his side."O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

My brain could barely process much besides the feeling of warm flesh separated by thin layers of clothing. "S- saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

Enishi smiled, moving a hand to cup the side of my face. "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged." He leaned slightly to the side, perfect lips narrowing the distance between my mouth and his in what seemed like slow motion. His dark eyes fluttered closed, softly but surely, and mine followed suit, resting my arms against his-

"I HAVE TO PEE!" I cried, shoving myself away from his awkwardly romantic embrace because of Kenshin and confusion and _embarrassment_ and I stumbled down the steps into the audience as the entire cast looked on in bewilderment.

"Oh come on, you're an adult now!" Hiko commanded with overtones of both understanding and disgust in his voice, jumping to his feet. "You can hold it, it isn't an emergency!"

"It is a LEGITIMATE emergency!" I exclaimed emphatically, hinting at Hiko to drop it before it got out of hand as I bolted for the door."You know she's just saying that because she doesn't want to – "

"THANK you, Yumi!" Hiko called.

As I yanked open the door to the hallway, I heard Cho shouting to Enishi; "Wow man, she really doesn't like you, does she?!"

"Kenshin, fetch!" And Hiko once more.

Kenshin? Kenshin trying to talk to me after that whole ordeal, telling me to calm down and that it was all okay? No. Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. I darted around the corner and into the nearest room, slamming the door behind me. My eyes searched for something to hold the door closed with, and I grabbed a rickety old chair to shove against it like I had seen people do in movies.

I took a deep breath, pulling myself up and trying to think like a regular human being. I was in the janitor's closet of all places, heaps of cleaning supplies and rags piled on shelves that lined the walls. Great. This seemed like the perfect place to wait out the last 47 minutes of rehearsal, with a bucket of mops and a stack of 'Caution' signs to keep me company. But it was better than being – I shuddered – in Enishi's arms.

A soft knock sounded through the door. "Kaoru?"

Crap. Kenshin. I said nothing, just hoping he would move on and not discover my hiding place.

"Kaoru, I know you're in there."

"No I'm not!" I called back, scrabbling to hide behind a row of broken desks still waiting to be fixed.

"This is the only door in the entire hallway that's closed." I could hear him sighing through the thick wood. "There's no other place you could be. Can I come in?"

"Leave me alone!" I cried, tripping over a light fixture just laying on the floor. "Don't you dare-"

The door swung wide open, the chair pushed uselessly to the side as a curious Kenshin was revealed. He looked at the chair, looked at me, and said "You know, that usually works better when you put the chair UNDER the doorknob."

I cursed my own stupidity and resolved never to trust movies ever again before turning away, plastering my hands to my face. "Kaoru, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong. I am absolutely fine. You can leave now."

"Kaoru." I felt a light touch on my arm, and he gently turned me around to face him. Gingerly prying my hands away from my face to see the tears pricking the corners of my eyes, he shook his head. "I know you. I can read you like a book." Before I could form any line of defense, he had my head pressed to his chest and his arms around my waist.

"I'm fine," I choked out, my voice cracking. God, I really needed to stop. There was no way he was going to believe me when I was like this. I tried to take a deep breath, and my shaky lungs filled with his musky sandalwood scent. I let it out slowly, tense muscles relaxing ever so slightly as the crimson locks millimeters from me began to blur through a film of moisture. A couple of tears fell on the soft grey fabric of his t-shirt, staining it charcoal black, and I wound my arms around his waist.

"What's wrong?" he repeated, a hand rubbing my back soothingly as the deep reverberations from his low voice calmed me.

"You're smart, you figure it out." Wow. The little kid in me today was really finding its way through. I was snippier than a pair of hedge trimmers.

"Use your words, Kaoru," he murmured, unphased.

I sniffed, my arms still firmly locked around him. "I don't want to kiss Enishi."

"Then don't," he said simply, leaning back a little so that he could smile at me. I pulled back a hand to wipe away my tear trails.

"But I have to," I said, confused. "It's written in the script, Stage Manager. You can't just go around changing it."

"Oh," he murmured, frowning. "I see your problem." Kenshin paused for a moment, then met my eyes. "Why not?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Why don't you want to kiss him?" He looked so innocent and curious, and I paused, trying to think.

How was I supposed to tell Kenshin that I didn't want to kiss Enishi in front of him? That wasn't what you said to people who were your friends. I bit my lip and then exclaimed, "It's my first kiss!" A harsh blush spread across my face, and I cursed my stupid stupid self. Lame. I was so lame. Was that really all I could come up with? I mean, it was true, but still.

I could tell he was trying not to smile. "You know stage kisses are different from regular kisses, right?"

"They still involve lip on lip action," I grumbled, "and let me tell you, I'm pretty sure Enishi thinks it's more real than not. I deserve better."

He paused, thinking. "Well then. I really only see one solution to your problem."

"And that i-"

And then his lips were on me in a glorious, surprising moment that made the blood rush to my head in a delightful flood of sensations. Wide eyes fluttered closed, and I leaned into his kiss, reveling in the blissful euphoria I seemed to be floating in as he pressed back gently. He held me so tenderly my legs felt like limp noodles, and I clung to him for fear of collapsing. Was this just a vivid daydream, or was this actually happening? It all seemed so impossible, but the soft pressure at the back of my head, pulling me to him, the subtle heat of our exhales – it was all so tangible.

He finally pulled back, looking content. "And there you go!"

I stood stunned, blinking. "That's it?!" I exclaimed at last, one half confused and the other half stunned.

"Yeah!" Mr. Oblivious grinned. "Nothing much to it, now is there?"

That – that – that IDIOT!

"See, now you don't have to be all scared anymore," Kenshin said, shrugging. "I know it sucks that it has to be Enishi, but maybe now you can brave your way through it with a little bit of experience under your belt."

I stood, understandably shell-shocked, then swallowed all of the possible things I could have sent tumbling from my still tender lips and simply said: "Oh. Thank … you?"

"No problem." Kenshin smiled. "Let's go back, shall we? Everybody's probably wondering why it took you so long to find the bathroom." He winked, violet eyes twinkling.

Misao wanted proof he only saw me as a friend? I had just found the best example I could ever ask for.


	6. Screwdrivers are the Solution

A Quick Note,

Here is another chapter for you guys! I'm praying I caught all of the spelling and grammar mistakes, but I wanted to get this up as soon as I could finish it, so you may have to give me a little bit of leeway on that front. This next part has a lot of swearing, alcohol, and a bit of violence in it, so just be warned. If, after reading, you believe this fic should be rated M because of the contents of this chapter, please let me know either by review or PM. I do try my best to abide by Fanfiction's rules, so any advice is welcome. I really feel like NOTL is headed in the right direction now that I have a lot more of the plot figured out, and I have all of you lovely readers to thank for that. All of the reviews I have received have played some part in this, whether it serves to tell me what things I need to fix, what I'm doing right, give me conflict ideas, or provide the little ego boost I need to finish a chapter, and I can't thank you enough for that. As always, please feel free to leave a review or send me a PM with any questions, comments, or concerns, and I promise to update soon.

Greatest Regards,

Sardonyx Rosetta

Chapter Six: Screwdrivers are the Solution

The living room was trashed. Crumpled papers lay strewn across the floor, while boxes of snack food were littered across the coffee table. Textbooks were on the ground, coupled with wrinkled clothing cast off in undeniable frustration. My favorite anime was flashing across the screen, and I sat on the couch with a spoon in my mouth, a pint of red velvet cheesecake ice cream in my lap.

"You know, for someone who kept insisting she didn't like Kenshin as more than a friend, you're pretty broken up."

"Shut up, Misao," I muttered, adjusting my pajama pants and sinking deeper into the couch cushions.

"I get it. It's a sucky situation."

I turned my head slowly to face her, eyes narrowing. "Kenshin friend-zoned me three seconds after he kissed me senseless. How could things get any worse?"

Misao sighed, plopping down next to me. "He didn't friend-zone you."

My glare turned even more incredulous. "He kissed me for the sole purpose of making me willing to suck face with Enishi."

"I guess that's true to some extent," Misao shrugged, "But that doesn't mean you have to give up hope."

"Of course it is," I pouted, my mouth full of ice cream.. "Who says I even had hope in the first place?"

Misao gestured to the room I had trashed in frustration and the snacks I had consumed in sorrow, and I shut up. Apparently I had liked Kenshin more than I had first thought.

My mind dragged up memories of a soft embrace and a gentle kiss, and I felt tears pricking the corners of my eyes. She slowly pried the ice cream out of my hands, careful to keep the waterworks out of the comfort food, and set it to the side. "I think we need a distraction. Something that involves flashing lights and glitter."

My eyes met hers. "A strip club?"

"No, Kaoru!" Misao huffed. "We're going clubbing." She yanked me up off the couch, dragging me away from the living room with determination in her every move. "We are going to dress up in sparkly clothes, dance our asses off, and drink to our heart's content, and by tomorrow morning you will have forgotten entirely about that stupid boy." I looked longingly at my ice cream, trying not to sniffle. She plopped me down on a folding chair in our closet-sized bathroom and whipped open the medicine cabinet, yanking out her brushes and wielding them like kunai knifes. "Now. Let's see what we can do."

* * *

All I could think about what how much I wanted to go home. I wouldn't say it, though. Misao had done so much for me tonight, and I didn't want to ruin it all with a single ill-placed word. Instead I just swirled my drink, toying with the hem of my sequinned shirt. Misao pranced back over to me, force-feeding me my screwdriver and yanking me out onto the dance floor.

"Quit being such a party pooper, Kaoru!" Misao cried, flailing wildly in time with the music. "Dance! Let out all of that frustration and sadness, look stupid, and dance!"

A particularly pop-y song began to filter through the speakers, and I smiled. I could try, for her. I let Misao yank me around by the arm in a failing attempt to dance, and I couldn't resist a laugh or two as she convulsed. I slowly lost myself in the music, hands in the air, moving my hips to the vibrations of the bass rumbling from nearby speakers. The lights pulsated hypnotically, alcohol coursing through my veins that dragged the world into slow motion. In the heated throng of people grinding and jumping and swaying on the crowded dance floor, it was easy to care about nothing more than whatever song was blasting from the enormous stereo system. Finally, Misao and I collapsed into two chairs in a far corner of the bar, just far enough away from the majority of the dancers that we could catch our breath.

"Look me straight in the eyes," Misao wheezed, "and tell me that wasn't fun."

I laughed again, eyes bright. "God, I needed this."

"Hell yes," Misao agreed leaning towards me.

"I need more alcohol." I smiled sweetly, pulling myself to my feet to wander over to the bar.

"That's the spirit!" Misao cheered from behind me, fist in the air. After two more screwdrivers, her support of me in drinking my sorrows away was beginning to lessen. "Kaoru, maybe you should stop for now," she murmured, looking a bit concerned. "I mean, orange juice is good for you and all, but that much vodka..."

I frowned. "But I'm happy now, Misao. Very happy!"

She pursed her lips. "You are also drunk. Very drunk."

"I'm not drunk," I chuckled into my third – or was it fourth? – cocktail. "I'm just drinking."

"All you are doing at this point is serving to prove my point," she said dryly. "If this thing about Kenshin is really getting you down in the dumps, maybe we need to put the alcoholic beverages away for a while and use our words. Just a thought."

I glared at her for a moment, pouting. She stared back, her face level with mine in the dim bar light. Our eyes locked for close to a minute, and then I suddenly jumped up and loudly proclaimed, "I have to PEE!"

"Of course you do," Misao sighed, pulling herself off her chair and into and upright position.

"Do you have to pee too?" I asked, cocking my head to the side in confusion.

"Nope."

"Then why are you coming with?"

"Because you are drunk, Kaoru. We've been through this."

I grabbed her shoulders and sat her back down. "I'm a big girl, remember? I am FINE. I can pee all by myself."

"Can you make it there all by yourself?"

"Of course."

Her gaze was ever so doubtful, but she relented. "Fine. But If you don't come back in six minutes I am calling the cops and sending in a search party."

I saluted her, turned shakily on my heel, and stumbled away as proudly as I could.

The trip to the bathroom was an endeavor, to be certain. Everyone seemed to be standing in my way, and I was having a hard time elbowing past all of them. At last I broke free and into the short hallway that housed the bathrooms. I had just managed to decipher which door lead to the ladies room when a tall man with a shock of white hair shuffled through a doorway marked "Bros." My heart had to pound against my ribcage for a couple of beats before I realized who it was. I took a slow step back as Enishi raised his head, meeting my gaze.

"Kaoru," he muttered, eyes narrowing. I stood there blinking, wondering why he seemed so angry. He took a giant step forward, forcing me back into the wall and pinning my torso to it with his own. "You bitch," he hissed, clumsy but strong hands grasping my face. "What did I do, huh? What did I do wrong? What's so terrible about kissing me, huh?"

"Your breath smells like alcohol," I noted, holding his gaze with curiosity.

"And yours reeks of it," Enishi countered icily, squeezing my chin between two unyielding fingers. "You embarrassed me in front of everybody, you cunt. What girl doesn't want to kiss me? I'll show you just how good I am."

He pressed his lips to mine in a hard kiss, nearly squashing my face with his rigid lips. It was gross and icky in about 43 different ways, and I fought for both oxygen and relief as he continued to smother me. My purely educational make out session with Kenshin had never seemed so fantastic compared to the saliva-ridden hell I now found myself facing, and consequentially, the nausea in the pit of my stomach was growing at an exponential rate.

Enishi's failing attempt at winning me over continued fruitlessly, and I found myself growing more and more repulsed as he grinded against me. My hands tried to shove him away from me, which had literally no effect whatsoever. Enishi was drunk, but he wasn't as drunk as me, so his physical abilities far exceeded mine. Clumsy fingers slipped down to my shoulders and then my chest, fondling me roughly through my shirt. Everything he touched felt dirty, and I shuddered to think of what was to come.

Cold lips wormed their way down the side of my neck, chafing against the tender skin that lay there. I groaned in discomfort, unable to find the words that would beg him to stop. A sharp pang deep inside me suddenly alerted me to the fact that soon, protesting would no longer be an issue.

I puked. I vomited a horrendous amount of half-digested ice cream, cheese puffs, orange juice, and vodka all the way down his back in a rain of stomach acid and utter grossness. It was glorious.

He froze as soon as the wet splat sounded, and I used the opportunity to wipe my mouth on his shoulder. Hands once sunk deep into my skin now extracted themselves, and he took a step back, still in shock. It was very hard not to smile while gazing at his mortified expression, but somehow I managed.

And suddenly I was on the ground, my cheek radiating waves of pain and agony. I moaned this time, curling up into the fetal position as Enishi stood over me, hand still raised from the harsh slap he had delivered after what I had done finally sunk in. "You BITCH!" Enishi cried, engrossed in a fit of rage. "How dare you!" He kicked me then, on my bad arm, the toe of his shoe colliding with the large patch of blue-black skin that had me near screaming in pain. With one last poisonous glare, Enishi turned and walked away, peeling off his puke-stained shirt as he went. I lay there in stunned silence for a couple of minutes, the places he had hit me still throbbing mercilessly, until Misao came around the corner and gasped.

"Oh my God, Kaoru!" Misao cried, kneeling down beside me. "Are you alright?! What happened to you?"

I struggled to sit up, a hand still pressed to my now-scarlet cheek. "I ran into the wall," I murmured, my vision blurring slightly. "Can we go home now? I want to go home now."

"There is no way you just ran into a wall," she protested, helping me to my feet. When I refused to speak any more, she sighed and put an arm around my shoulders, leading me towards the door. "Yeah, Kaoru. We can go home now." The two of us stumbled out into the cold night air, and I tried to take a deep breath, filling my lungs. But I couldn't. I was forced to wheeze quietly the whole way home, wondering if I would ever be able to breathe easily again – especially when faced with a pair of worried violet eyes.


	7. Cry Me a River

A Quick Note:

I'm seriously ashamed of myself. You all deserved an update much sooner than this, and I'm a meanie-pants for not doing this earlier. Hopefully the wait will make this new chapter all the more sweet, because I really enjoyed writing this one. It's actually longer than most of my chapters, which I'm happy about, but I digress. In regards to Enishi, I realize what he did seems rather OC for him. He does have qualms about injuring women due to his sister complex, but he was also drunk, bitter, and his tendencies towards violence were beginning to show through. While I don't plan on taking the violence portion of his relationship with Kaoru any further, I would just like to note that every story seems to have a villain, whether it's a person or a personal conflict, and in NOTL, that villain is Enishi. He is one of my favorite characters, though, and I hope to evoke more of his deeper thoughts in chapters to come. Because, let's face it - Enishi is pretty boss, evil or not. Thank you for all your continued support, guys! I'm loving all of the feedback I'm getting, and I really hope you all will keep it up. In return, I'll keep these updates coming as fast as I can!

Greatest Regards,

Sardonyx Rosetta

Chapter Seven: Cry Me a River

I awoke to a throbbing pain that had nestled itself in my brain. God, it was terrible. Misao, blessing that she was, had left a large glass of water on the bedside table to combat my post-drinking-binge dehydration, and I drank like I had never tasted water before. I glanced at my alarm clock, noting it was already two in the afternoon. I had missed my only two classes for the day, Saito's world history and statistics, and from the way I felt right now, I was glad I had. Clumsy hands reached for a beat up old phone, and I instinctively turned down the brightness of the screen so I didn't sear my retinas. Three new text messages. One from Yahiko, saying that he missed me but that I was still ugly, one from Misao, checking in to make sure I was okay, and a mass text from Hiko telling everybody that rehearsal for this afternoon was canceled because of a "ridiculous meeting" that he had to attend.

I breathed a soft sigh of relief, grateful that I wouldn't have to deal with Enishi today.

Oh god. Enishi.

My throbbing brain began to drag up foggy memories of last night. The drinking. The confrontation in the hallway. I brought a hand to my face, feeling the tender skin on the side of my cheek. I looked terrible, I was sure of it.

Dragging myself out of bed, I stumbled to the bathroom. To my chagrin, a light reddish bruise shadowed my cheekbone, and the area under my eyes was grey and sullen. I looked like a zombie, pale, nasty skin and all. My hair stuck up in places I didn't even know it could, and I glared at my gloomy face in the mirror.

I made my way into the kitchen, looking for a bottle of painkillers. I popped what was probably more than the recommended dose and washed it down with a sports drink, hoping to stave off some of the effects of my nasty hangover. The erasable calendar on the wall caught my eye, and I paused. Today was Friday, wasn't it? If I didn't have to go to rehearsal, Mishitaka-sensei would expect me to be as practice. I couldn't just skip. Aoshi would be there, and Sensei would know I had just decided not to show up. Besides, I had already been gone so many times for theater that I owed it to the students. They needed my help. I bit my lip, tossing some leftovers in the microwave to heat up. But I couldn't go as I was. Something needed to be done about my appearance, or everyone would know exactly what I had been up to last night.

I brought my Chinese food into the bathroom with me. In between bites, I managed to shower and pull my wet hair back into some sort of a braided bun that made it look like I tried even though I really hadn't. Generous layers of concealer coated the area under my eyes and the pinkish spotty mark on my cheek from Enishi's hand. A thick blanket of foundation made it look a little better as well, and with some darker, dramatic eyeshadow and mascara, I deemed myself passable.

I glanced at the clock. It had taken so long to paint my face that if I didn't leave soon, I was going to be late for practice. I grabbed by bag with my bokken and shinai and jogged to the door, locking up behind me and setting off towards the dojo.

I arrived just on time, walking into the locker room as the other girls began to change.

"Kaoru!" Misao cried, looking up in surprise. She tied the strings on her hakama and bounded over to me, her voice dropping to a whisper for literally the first time in her life. "How are you? Do you feel okay?"

"I feel like crap," I replied cheerfully, pulling off my shirt and replacing it with my own faded blue gi.

"Then why are you here?" she hissed, putting her hands on her hips.

"I need to be," I sighed, grabbing my hakama and slipping out of my jeans. "Sensei needs the help, and you know it. Being hungover is no excuse."

"After all you drank last night, I'm really surprised your organ systems haven't liquefied yet."

"It probably helped that a good portion of that alcohol exited my body in the form of puke," I sighed, securing my hakama and throwing my clothes in my bag.

"About that. It was all Enishi's fault, wasn't it? He was the one who you puked on."

I froze. "No," I said slowly. "No he wasn't. It was just this random guy."

She continued, undeterred. "And then Enishi slapped you."

I faced her them, getting as close to her as I could. "It didn't happen like that."

"So you admit it, then," Misao countered, refusing to back down. "It was Enishi."

I yanked a bokken out of my bag, refusing to answer.

"Kaoru, you have to talk to me," Misao whispered at last, eyes brimming with concern. "This isn't okay. Why are you trying to keep things a secret?"

I met her gaze, opened my mouth as if to speak, and then snapped it shut again, walking around her and into the main hall of the dojo. Mishitaka-sensei greeted me before Misao could open her mouth again, and I smiled at him through gritted teeth.

"Glad to see that all of my instructors are here, at long last," he chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. My limbs stiffened as his words slowly sank in. "Too bad you weren't here yesterday, Kamiya. The new kids could have used you. Today is only advanced fighters, so we can concentrate on honing your skills. Important stuff, though, especially since you can't make it all that often."

All … of his instructors? Meaning …

"Kaoru." My head whipped to the side, and I caught his gaze. Kenshin. "You doing okay? I didn't see you in history this morning."

"Um, I- I-" I stuttered, caught completely off guard. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just overslept."

"For Saito's class?" He smiled. "You really must have been tired. Takes a lot of guts."

"Yeah … " I trailed off, looking away. I couldn't meet his eyes anymore, knowing that if I looked at him he'd decipher my lie in an instant.

Mishitaka called everyone to attention then, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, discreetly moving away from Kenshin as we began our warm-ups. It was mainly Misao, Aoshi, Kenshin and I in the main hall, and a few other students that I still didn't know all that well despite the number of years I had studied at this dojo. I stretched briefly and ran through basic kata with my head in the clouds, my body simply going through the motions. All I could think about was how I couldn't let Kenshin know what had happened last night. The last thing I needed at this point was a bunch of drama regarding a drunken brawl, even if it had almost ended in me being assaulted. I shivered, trying to retain my composure. I could handle myself, I decided. I didn't need Kenshin to fight my battles for me.

"That's enough for right now," Sensei said, wiping his already sweaty brow on the sleeve of his gi. "I think we should break off into pairs again and run through a couple of match-point rounds, just to get us all back in shape. Misao, Aoshi, take this room. It's got more space for the martial-arts part of your fighting styles. See if you can come up with any more 'ninja techniques' you should be teaching in that little class of yours. Kaoru, Kenshin, you know what to do. Second practice room. Boys, I want you all—"

He began to address the other guys in our small group of people, but I cut him off. "But Sensei, I train with Kenshin all the time. Why can't I take a turn with Aoshi for a bit, and see how it all works out? It'd be more fun that way."

Sensei paused. I could see Misao's astonished face out of the corner of my eye, soaking in what she had heard. "But-" she started to protest, and a hand on her shoulder cut her off.

"I agree," Aoshi murmured, his grip on her firm. "I think the variety would be a good learning opportunity for all of us."

Mishitaka-sensei sat back on his heels for a moment, thinking. "I'm starting to realize my authority as your instructor is being undermined. But I do see your point." He ran a hand through his greying locks. "Kenshin, take Misao into the practice room with you. Aoshi and Kaoru, you stay here. After a quarter of an hour or so, switch back to your regular pairings. Try not to beat each other too bloody." With that, he turned and led the rest of the group into the other hall.

There was a beat of silence, and I glanced at the others. Though I hadn't intended to, my last-minute suggestion had of rattled everyone's composure, and I could feel the tension rising. "Let's go, Misao," Kenshin murmured gently, catching her elbow and leading her down the hall. She shot a lost glance at me over her shoulder, and I bit my lip, turning to readjust my bokken.

"You feel guilty letting her go," Aoshi said once they were out of earshot.

I waited until the door to the practice room shut before I replied. "Maybe. She did drag my sorry ass home."

Aoshi pulled out his dulled kodachi, tucking them into his belt. "As she told me."

I paused, taking a step back. "And what did she tell you?"

He straightened, gazing at me through dark bangs. "I don't wish to say. It is hard to tell what is truth and what is exaggeration."

"Of course," I muttered, taking my position.

"I'm much more curious as to why you are terrified of Kenshin," Aoshi's spontaneous attack caught me off guard, and my bokken went flying. "Case in point, Miss Kamiya. The mere mention of him distracts you entirely."

I grabbed my weapon with a huff, my walls of defense finally raised. "It does not." With that I attacked, looking for holes in his technique that I could exploit. He was, of course, flawless, being the phenomenal swordsman that he was, which left me no room to advance. Still, I refused to allow him the pleasure of landing a blow.

"Allowing your anger to control your body will not ensure your victory," Aoshi said calmly, taking hold of my wooden sword over my hands. I gazed at him vacantly, and he sighed, shaking his head. "I refuse to battle you like this. It accomplishes nothing."

I glared at him silently, unmoved.

"Something is weighing very heavily on your mind, Kaoru," Aoshi murmured. "And it is affecting everything you do. You can either let it wreak havoc on your mental well-being, get over it on your own, or tell someone what is going on. Those are your options."

Gently, I pulled my hands out from under his. The silence seemed to permeate every corner of the room, and I finally drew my head up to look at him. "Kenshin kissed me."

The ice king stood stoically, obviously unable to comprehend why this was a bad thing.

I crossed my arms. "And then he told me it was 'just for practice', since I was having trouble locking lips with Enishi."

"Oh my," Aoshi murmured, a hand rising to meet his face. "That is a bit of a problem."

"Thank you, Genius. I really needed that pointed out to me." I took up my defensive position again, bokken firm in my hands. "Now you know. So let's finish this."

"You need to talk to him," Aoshi said, his form still relaxed. "Especially after whatever happened last night. He deserves to know."

"Deserves to know?!" I cried, throwing myself at him in a furious frenzy. "That insufferable man deserves nothing!"

Aoshi let his weapons drop and resorted entirely to his martial arts, twisting my arms off to the side, gaining leverage with his elbow, and throwing me over his shoulder to land on the worn wooden floor. "That, Miss Kamiya, is why attacks fueled by anger never work – they are far too easy to read."

I growled in response, my head throbbing. A small hand offered to pull me up, and I took it gratefully. It was Misao.

"Kenshin wants you in the other room," she said. "We're all done. And from the looks of it, you are too."

"Of course," I sighed, straightening my gi. I turned back to Aoshi with one last plea, hoping I could delay the inevitable. "I don't suppose you want to go one more round, do you?"

He shook his head. "I've had enough for one day."

I turned towards the hallway, and was instantly enveloped in a warm hug.

"Good luck, Kaoru,"she murmured, arms secure around my waist. "Do what you need to do." And then she gently pushed me in the direction of the practice room, giving me the head start I needed to get to the door.

Shaky hands grabbed the handle of the shoji and pulled, slowly revealing the one place in the dojo that I had spent more of my time in than any other – especially with Kenshin.

He stood in the center of the polished wood floor, the waning afternoon sunlight filtering through the high windows to cast long shadows across the room. The air smelled of sweat and exhaustion, and I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the familiar scent as if to calm myself. Crimson hair covered familiar violet eyes, a few strands glued to his face from the workout Misao had given him. Despite his perspiration, it was obvious who had won. When did the victor ever change? It was always Kenshin – strong, perfect Kenshin, flawless, unhindered by any fighter he encountered. I wanted to hate him, more than most things in my world … but he just made it so inconceivably hard.

He looked up, locking eyes with me. "Kaoru," Kenshin said evenly, his expression almost passing as a smile. "Ready to practice?"

"Of course," I said, sliding the shoji shut behind me. "If you are, that is."

And he attacked.

Kenshin never started on offense. Ever. The first move was always mine to make, and he had broken that with one sharp whip of his sword. I barely had time to react, such was my astonishment. The second strike I never saw coming, and I was on the floor before I knew it. While the landing hadn't hurt, it still rattled me. What was up with Kenshin today?

As I clambered to my feet, he remarked, "How strange. You usually last much longer."

"That's because you usually hold out on me longer," I growled, readjusting the position of my bokken.

"Interesting." Kenshin mused, leaning nonchalantly on his sword. "Maybe I shouldn't, if it poses you with a harder challenge. That is what you wanted, after all, right?"

My eyes narrowed. "Jealous much?"

He had the nerve to look surprised. "Jealous? Of Aoshi?

"It's not like you're the problem," I explained, feigning indifference. "Aoshi just has a very different fighting style than you, and I enjoy having a variety of challenges to face."

He smiled sweetly. "Of course."

This time I was prepared when he attacked, and instead of being knocked flat I found myself able to hold my own for quite a while. That was, until he asked, "Why are you wearing makeup?"

I started, then began to increase my intensity. "Because it looks pretty," I grumbled, feeling undeniably superficial as the words dripped from my mouth.

"You never wear makeup," he countered, blocking another one of my attacks with infuriating ease. "Ever."

"Maybe I felt like being a girl today," I huffed, twisting around to land a blow on his left knee. As usual my attack missed him by a small margin, and I could feel my anger building. "Just drop it, already."

And he did, if only for the moment. After three more rounds that ended in Kenshin utterly decimating me, I was tense, frustrated, and sweaty as hell.

"Okay, I need a quick break," Kenshin said, dropping his stance to walk to his bag.

"YOU need a break …" I seethed quietly, marching over to the pile of guest towels. I grabbed one and scrubbed the sweat off my face, feeling like a slimy, disgusting human being. Tossing it to the side, I smoothed back a few stray bangs and turned back to face my opponent. "Well, let's finish this so I can go home, shall we?"

Kenshin only stared at me, water bottle still in his hands. Slowly, he set it down on the hardwood next to his sword and walked towards me, approaching with caution. "Kaoru," he murmured softly, his hands laying gently on my shoulders. "What happened to your face?"

My blood ran ice cold, and out of the corner on my eye I spotted the towel I had just used, caked in flesh-colored goop. "Shit," I muttered, my head hanging low. He lifted my chin with the side of his index finger, allowing him a better look at the damage. There it was, all there for him to see. The greyish bags under my eyes, the pale lips, and the discolored cheek.

"Kaoru," he breathed, worry filling his violet eyes more so now than it ever had before. "Please. What happened?"

"I threw up on someone and they hit me," I explained, trying not to flinch away from him. He was suspicious enough without the added bonus of my awkward movements. There was no need to make it worse. "It was no biggie. We were both extremely drunk"

Kenshin's gaze hardened. "Who?"

"Nobody," I assured him. "I don't even know who he was. Some guy."

"And he hit you." His question wasn't even a question – more of a statement.

"Like I said, it's nothing," I insisted. "I can handle myself."

His hands gently cupped my face, sending shivers of adrenaline down my spine. "Kaoru"

I sighed softly, eyes closing. "What, Kenshin?"

"It was Enishi, wasn't it?"

My eyes popped open, and I pushed his hands away. "No! like I said –"

He interrupted me almost immediately. "Kaoru, Misao said she saw Enishi leaving, peeling off a puke-stained shirt as he went. Go ahead, try to convince me that was just a coincidence. I'd be delighted to hear you try."

The ropes holding my patience in place were starting to fray. "I don't know what you're talking about."

His eyes narrowed, eyes flashing amber. "You're telling me Enishi had nothing to do with this?"

"Why do you care, anyways?!" I spat, arms waving emphatically.

"That doesn't answer my question," Kenshin persisted, stepping closer. "Why are you trying to lie to me? What did he do to you?"

I glared at him. "Nothing"

He growled in frustration. "Kaoru, stop it. Tell me what happened."

"Just – just shut up, okay?!" I exclaimed. "It's not like you'd understand, anyways! In fact, you'd probably sympathize with him!"

"Like hell I would!" Kenshin seethed, eyes a true amber now. "I'd never do that – he hit you!"

He did the same thing you did to me!" I cried, tears in the corners of my eyes as rage dripped from every word. "He forced himself on me because I didn't want to kiss him, just to prove he could! He didn't care how I felt, he was going to make me like it! So I threw up on him, he slapped me to the ground, kicked my bad shoulder, turned around, and left, and Misao dragged my drunk, sorrow-filled ass back home so I could cry my eyes out at home about the two stupid fucks who decided what I needed for me!" I slapped him then, flat palm connecting with flushed cheek, the sharp sting of the blow shooting up my arm as the sound rang out through the practice room. "You're both enormous asses, and I hope you rot in hell together!" My voice broke as he turned his head back to look at me, eyes wide with astonishment, shock, and hurt. I took a step or two back then, the fury in my veins beginning to drain. To my surprise, his eyes began to water, and that was when I turned and bolted – because the one thing in the world I could never handle was Kenshin's tears.


	8. Call it What You Want

A Quick Note,

This chapter is like cotton candy. There are no other words. It's a sugary, fluffy mess, and I love it. It took me forever to write for no good reason, and even longer to edit because I am a lazypants, but no matter. It's here. Enjoy. And know - THIS FANFIC IS NOT OVER. Yet. There are a couple lose ends to tie up, which I'm sure some of you are looking forward to, but just know this will be coming to a close shortly so I can go on with my life. Happy readings! Please leave a review if you feel so inclined. They fill my heart with happiness and make me want to write ALL the fanfiction! I like knowing that what I write is coming across as at least mildly entertaining - it provides a sense of encouragement akin to a kick in the butt, so props to those who have reviewed in the past. You all rock. Happy reading!

Greatest Regards

Sardonyx Rosetta

Chapter Eight: Call it What You Want

"Get up, Ugly," Yahiko said, shaking my shoulder. "Someone's here to see you, and they don't look very patient."

My hand flew out from under the the blankets to smack Yahiko in the head. "Don't call me that, you little brat. Leave me alone. Chances are I don't want to see them anyways."

Yahiko yanked me off the couch with one sharp tug, and I landed hard. "Yahiko – !" I began, fury racing through my veins, but a large shadow looming over me cut me off.

"To the contrary, Miss Kamiya," Hiko growled. "You most definitely want to see me. Right. Now."

I stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing in my house?"

"And by that, you mean what am I doing in your 18-year-old brother's apartment?" he sneered, dripping with sarcasm.

I blinked slowly. "Sure?"

He sighed, rubbing his scruffy face with one hand. "No one knows where you are, you idiot. Because of your inability to confront your problems, not one of your friends could find you, and so they called the only mildly responsible adult they know to see if that would help. Misao literally resorted to asking me if you've been kidnapped or not, so I used my handy dandy, teacher-only student directory to find the address to this place so I could drag your sorry little butt back home before all of your friends could gnaw their little nails off with worry."

I sat up hesitantly. "I appreciate the effort, I guess, but the point of my disappearance was so that I didn't have to talk to anyone for the rest of the weekend."

He glared at me, radiating anger. "Get up. Put your shoes on. Let's go."

Of course Misao would have realized I took the bus to Yahiko's. I wasn't some super smart master ninja that could outsmart even my roommate. I followed his orders obediently, much to the surprise of my little brother.

"So you're just going to go along with the nut?" Yahiko asked, after Hiko left to start up the car.

"Do I have much of a choice?" I muttered, yanking on my shoes. "He's about two stories taller than me, with the ability to kick me out of the play. There's not a lot I can do."

"As much as I want my couch back, why do you have to leave? I know you didn't tell me much about the whole thing, but it isn't hard to guess." Yahiko scratched his head. "Don't you guys need some time to cool off after a fight that big?"

I yanked on my sweatshirt over a faded The Beatles t-shirt. "Sometimes things don't work out as planned."

He bit his lip. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

I smiled. "Oh, quit acting like you care. It's weird."

He did his best not to grin, stuck his tongue out at me, and said "Yeah right, Ugly."

"That's more like it." I gave him a quick hug, and he squirmed appropriately. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Don't come back _too_ soon," he sniffed, turning his back on me. Walking out the door, however, I could feel his eyes on me as I left. He would miss me, I knew, but he wouldn't tell me. Such a proud kid.

Hiko was waiting impatiently in his small, dusty red sedan, hands drumming on the tiny black steering wheel.

I yanked open the passenger-side door, sliding into the familiar vehicle. It was the same car Kenshin had borrowed all through his freshman year, and then his sophomore year, when I had joined him at our familiar little community college. I remembered the colder days of winter, where he would swing by my apartment and pick Misao and I up so we could get to class with all of our toes still intact. The frost had clung to the windows like delicate antique lace, fading away as the car heated up. The rare moments when I found myself alone with him had been blissfully peaceful, warm exhales creating clouds as soft music drifted from the speakers.

I sighed and slammed the door shut, yanking on my seat belt as Hiko pulled out of park. The car was painfully silent, and once Hiko pulled onto the highway, I just couldn't take it anymore. "I can't believe you drove all that way just to drag me back home."

"Don't, then," Hiko replied, punching the gas pedal so that the old, decrepit sedan could catch up with the rest of traffic. "There's no reason why you should."

I paused for a moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hiko sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand. "How benevolent of a person do you think I am, Miss Kamiya? I have other things I need to worry about as well."

My eyes narrowed in response. "Such as?"

His gaze caught mine, if only for a second, and then his eyes flickered back to the road. "I need to know what happened Thursday night, Kaoru. Not as a concerned friend, or as a worried adult, but as an administrator with the duty to protect his students and the safety of those involved in his activities. If Enishi acted violently against you, intoxicated or not, angry or not …" Hiko trailed off, trying to find the words. "I need to know," he repeated, his fingers tightening ever so slightly on the steering wheel. "He has the potential to do so again, either to you or to another student. This isn't something you can just brush off. I've heard different stories from every concerned party, and I want the real one, straight from your lips. No lies. No avoidances. The plain, simple truth."

I felt like I was melting into my seat, all my emotions draining down in a nasty spiral and pulling me with them. Breathing quickened, my fingers clenched into tight fists. I opened my mouth to argue, but I realized I couldn't. He had said it all, leaving me with no defenses but the brutal truth I had kept hidden from most everyone. It was pitiful. My limbs felt weak, and for once I felt glad I was sitting down. Trapped, the two of us in our own little bubble, no escape from the levity of the conversation. At last, I whispered, "This can't make it to anyone else. Not Misao, not Sano, and not – " I drew in a sharp breath. "Especially not Kenshin. They all know bits and pieces, but nothing more. And I want to keep it that way. My conflicts are my business."

Hiko was silent for a moment. "I will only tell those people of whom this is of major concern. You have my word on that. But that doesn't mean whatever happened should never touch the light of day. Secrets are like swallowing bleach, Kamiya. No one knows about it until it starts to eat you out from the inside."

I pulled my sweatshirt closer, sinking farther down. It was a moment before I began, choosing to ignore his underhanded comment. "We were at the bar, downtown. I was drinking. A lot. Screwdrivers, I think. I was trying to forget … some things, and it seemed to be helping. Th-"

"You drink?" Hiko asked, mild surprise in his voice.

"Does it matter?" I snapped. "I'm 21. You already know that."

"But to … forget? You don't have anything to forget."

I glared at him, eyes flashing. "Will you shut up and let me finish the story I never wanted to tell, you ignorant, unsophisticated hypocrite?"

Hiko said nothing for the first time in a very long while, his smart mouth finally void of sharp comebacks. Maybe I had finally struck a nerve.

"I got up to use the bathroom and left Misao at the table," I continued, my voice soft. "I made it to the hallway with the restrooms okay, but then Enishi stumbled out of the men's room, wasted out of his mind. He saw me, and it was like waving a red flag in front of a bull."

"He pushed me against the wall and yelled at me, calling me every bad name in the book. He was mad I hadn't wanted to kiss him in rehearsal – said something about ruining his good image or making him look like an idiot. And then he kissed me, so hard I thought my face would break. I couldn't breathe. I was frozen in place, and the alcohol wouldn't let me fight him off. All I could do was stand there and take it, his cold hands and wet lips all over me. The nausea in the pit of my stomach grew to the point where I threw up. Like, on him. He slapped me to the ground and kicked my bad arm, called me a few more bad names, and walked away."

I gave him a moment to process what I had said. "So that's the story," I said at last, clasping and then unclasping my hands in my lap. "Is … I mean, what's going to happen? Just go about things like normal?"

Hiko pulled off the highway, taking the exit that lead to my apartment. "I'm going to do exactly what my superiors would want me to, in this case. Because, for once, that's actually the right thing to do."

I bit my lip. "And that is?"

"I'm dethroning the little brat and sending him packing," Hiko growled. "He is never to show his face in my theater ever again, provided he wants to keep it. His face, I mean."

I sat up in shock. "Seriously?!"

Hiko almost laughed. "Of course."

I sat back against the grey upholstery. "I mean, you're just going to believe me? No witnesses, no nothing – just my drunken story?"

"Yup."

"But, why?!" I sputtered. "I mean, I'm grateful and all, but – "

"I trust you," Hiko interrupted firmly. "And, more importantly, my son does to. Believe it or not, his opinion does hold some worth with me."

My wide-eyed gaze caught his calm one, and I tried to make my tongue work. "But who's going to play Romeo?" I murmured, changing the subject.

"Fabulous question!" Hiko exclaimed cheerfully, pulling up next to my apartment complex. "I have no freaking clue. Now get out of my car and go prove to your roommate that you're alive and unharmed. I have little bastards with no respect for women to yell at."

And with that, I was left on the curb, without even time to thank him before he pulled away to take care of business.

I stumbled to the elevator in a daze, running a hand through my long hair as I waited for the doors to open. Well, that had been rather weird. Nothing quite like your director showing up at your front steps, extracting the reluctant truth from you, and dragging you back home to your overprotective BFF to knock you off your game a little. I shrugged to myself as I stepped onto my floor, pulling my keys out of the pocket of my worn jeans. It wasn't like it mattered. Kenshin was the one I was truly concerned about staying away from at this point, not Misao. At least I wouldn't have to deal with him for a while. I wiggled the key into the lock, pushing open the door like I hadn't been avoiding it for a full 24 hours.

Misao looked up from her perch on the arm of the easy chair with astonishment and relief spread all across her face. "Oh thank God, Kaoru, you're finally home!"

Sano sprang up from his spot on the couch, drinking me in with a mixture of happiness and confusion as his long limbs swayed in mild disorientation.

My gaze caught concerned violet eyes, and all of the joy generated by my homecoming was cut short in one tight, brief inhale of stale oxygen. Kenshin.

Why, why couldn't I have come home to an empty house?! What had taken so strong a hold of my karma that I had been refused the few minutes of relief sitting in my own living room, sleeping in my own bed, even eating in my own kitchen could bring me?

I dropped my purse, turned on my heel, and bolted. I could hear their echoed cries from behind me, but my feet were on a track of their own. The stairs were my target, the elevators too slow, and my hand had just grasped the doorknob to the stairwell when a pair of strong, thick arms grabbed me and hauled me over a pair of broad shoulders. "Sano!" I cried indignantly, squirming under his unyielding grasp. "Let- Me- GO!"

"Oh no, not a chance," Sano growled. "Not after all the trouble you've given us." He marched back towards the apartment, where Misao stood with her hands on her hips

"You know I love you," Misao started, with a tone that quite honestly screamed the opposite. "But this has gone entirely too far. I'm sure that fact hasn't escaped your notice." With that, she flung open the door, Sano dumped me ungracefully on the floor, and Misao slammed it shut again.

As soon as I could regain my balance, I was tugging on the doorknob with a desperation I never knew I had. "Let me out!" I cried, frantic for an escape. The two must have been holding the door shut from the outside.

I heard the key turn in the lock, the key I had left there in my surprise, and Misao called through the thick wood, "Kaoru, you can't keep running away from your problems! Stay in that room, _talk_ to that damn boy, and come to some sort of goddamn conclusion before I rip both of your throats out and then feed them to you! I don't CARE if it's physiologically impossible, Sano, I'm going to do it!"

"You know as well as I do that I can unlock this door from the inside!" I seethed.

"Hell yes I do!" she snapped. "So I guess you have a choice, then; turn around and leave like you always do, or put on your big girl panties and actually have a goddamn conversation with an honest-to-god person. Go ahead, make a decision. I couldn't care less! Sano, let's go. I'm not coming back for a while."

I stood frozen in place, with my arms still braced against the door. Only the sound of Kenshin's breathing alerted me to the fact that he was there, and that faint sound was enough to keep me from turning to face him. Every ounce of blood in my body was screaming at me to run.

But I didn't.

Every breath I took told me to leave while I still could.

But I didn't

Every drop of sweat, every eyelash, every cell in my body wanted to reject the fact that a problem even existed, that Kenshin and I were still the bestest of friends, everything was perfect, and that I could never be happier.

But I could.

I could be happier.

And with that simple prospect lodged in my brain, I turned to face him.

He was tired, foremost. The bags under his eyes were subtle, but there. It seemed like he hadn't slept at all since the last time I had seen him, nearly a whole day ago. A familiar shield of crimson bangs covered his dark violet eyes, forming the smallest of barriers between us. He wore the same thing he always did, faded jeans and a worn t-shirt fitted to his slight form, and yet it was so comfortingly familiar. Everything about him was so close to normal, and yet it was the subtle differences that confused me more than any other.

"Kenshin," I breathed at last, holding his gaze for the first time in a very long while. He looked away then, pain in his eyes.

"I'm such an idiot," Kenshin muttered, a hand covering his face.

"Yeah," I agreed. "You are."

He looked up with a dissatisfied expression on his face, glowering at me through spread fingers. That obviously wasn't the reaction he had been expecting.

"But that doesn't mean I hate you."

His expression softened, and his hand lowered. "Really?" he asked, in a tone more like a statement than a question.

I tried not to smile, despite the emotions whirling in the pit of my stomach. "To a point."

He sighed, leaning against the back of the couch. "Then why did you run?"

I pulled myself up onto the kitchen counter, across from him. "Why do you think?" I murmured.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Don't start with this. I want a real answer." His gaze was more hazel than violet now, and I felt a pang of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. "Don't I deserve some sort of an explanation, since it's me you're always running from?"

I pulled my arms in close to my torso, pausing. What could I say to him? Why _had_ I run from him? "I was afraid," I admitted at last, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Of me?" Kenshin breathed, eyes springing wide with concern. He straightened, taking a few hesitant steps towards me. "Was it because of … what I did? I mean, it makes perfect sense. After all, who would want me to k-"

I cut him off before he could say the full word. "That wasn't what I what I was scared of, Kenshin. I was scared of what you would say."

He only looked more confused.

I sighed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "It wasn't the kissing that was the problem, you dork. It was the reason why. The one you told me."

"Wait, what?" Kenshin asked, eyebrows somewhere near the ceiling. "You're telling me you didn't want me to kiss you because of your stage fright with Enishi? Then why did you want to kiss me at all?"

I shook my head, not bothering to hide my smile. "Oh Kenshin. You're good at math; try putting two and two together."

It was like I could see Kenshin's epiphany coming to a conclusive explosion in front of my very eyes, and the grin that spread across his face was worth every little droplet of heartbreak I had experienced over the past few days. Soft, eager lips pressed against mine, lithe fingers tangling in my long, midnight-black locks as an arm wound its way around my waist. My hands captured the sides of his face, holding him to me like the only way I could breathe was through him. His touch was so achingly sweet, firm but tender, pressing me to him as if I would melt away somehow. It was the stuff of daydreams, the gentle pressure he exerted anchoring my body to the ground as my head floated up into the clouds. It was clichéd. It was beautiful. It was endearing. It was so undeniably _simple_.

He pulled back just enough to end our kiss, resting his forehead on mine. Our warm breath mingled in the small space between our swollen lips, brushing slightly against our flushed cheeks. I opened my eyes slowly, gazing straight into his widened pupils as I let my hands slide down to his shoulders. He was so solid, so real – and yet every little detail implied it could only be a dream.

"This is a thing, isn't it?" he murmured at last, his mind obviously on the same track as mine. "This is … happening?"

I laughed then, the soft chuckle trickling out with ease. "God, I sure hope so."

"I like you," Kenshin whispered, an immature, boyish sparkle in his eye. "As more than a friend. Much more so, in fact."

"I like you." I smiled complacently. "And I'm sorry," I breathed, pain seeping into my voice. "I'm sorry I ever even considered comparing you to Enishi. It was wrong, and stupid, and all manner of terrible things. You're nothing like that bastard, and you never were."

"You know that's not entirely true," he murmured, smirking nonetheless. "I still forced myself on you. Sort of."

"You kissed me," I whispered. "You didn't call me a bitch. You didn't beat me up. You were just trying to help. And, though you probably did more damage than you intended, it was the thought that counted." I paused, pulling away the tiniest bit as my voice returned to normal levels. "Did you really just try to make out with me because of – "

Kenshin's lips cut me off, and my insides melted again. He pulled back to look at me, his hands still on my cheeks. "I kissed you for the same reason I always do, Kaoru: because I've wanted to for a very, very long time."

I put my hands on his. "Does that mean we'll be doing a lot of this from now on? Because I don't know about you, but I would really like for this to be a recurring thing."

"Without a doubt," Kenshin replied, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "I've been waiting for this for far too long."

"Can't believe we didn't figure this out earlier," I muttered. "You know, for two smart people, we can really act like idiots."

He only smiled, glancing down again with a complicated expression on his face. "You know, I'm kind of curious. How did you even get here?"

"Hiko. He stalked me through the school system and showed up at my little brother's doorstep just to drag my butt back home."

"You're kidding." Kenshin looked up, eyes wide.

"Nope." I pushed his bangs out of his line of sight. "He made me tell him about the other night, with Enishi. He told me he was going to kick him out, but he wouldn't tell anybody what happened."

He tilted his head to the side, the corner of his lips curling up. "That's probably the nicest thing my father's ever done for me."

"For you?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing matters more to me than knowing you're safe." He pressed a chaste kiss against my forehead, and I pouted.

"I can take care of myself," I grumbled, glaring at him.

Gently, he took hold of my arm and placed it in front of me, pushing up my sleeve to show the bruise that still took up a majority of my bicep. "Most of the time," Kenshin said softly.

"That was an accident."

He pulled my sleeve back in place, his hand sliding down my arm to grasp my fingers. "I just don't want him to hurt you any more than he already has."

"He won't," I assured him. "There's no way he can. From now on, Enishi isn't a problem. The only thing I'm worried about who I'm going to have to kiss next."

"I already know the answer to that question." He grinned, and I shook my head.

"Of course you do." I pulled him close again, breathing in the scent of sandalwood and pine as we kissed. Whomever Hiko chose as the new Romeo, I knew without a doubt that Kenshin would be willing get rid of whatever injustice had been made against my lips with his own – and that was more promising than any other alternative solution. After all, spending a little more quality time with Kenshin was currently number one on my priority list.


End file.
